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Why We Need to Be Wild: One Woman’s Quest for Ancient Human Answers to 21st Century Problems
"In the tradition of the best immersive journalism." –A.J. Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically A bold examination of how Paleolithic wisdom could solve our 21st century problems Jessica Carew Kraft, an urban wife and mom of two, was firmly rooted in the modern world, complete with a high-powered career in tech and the sneaking suspicion that her lifestyle was preventing her and her family from truly thriving. Determined to find a better way, Jessica quit her job and set out to learn about "rewilding" from people who reject the comforts and convenience of civilization by using ancient tools and skills to survive. Along the way, she learned how to turn sticks into fire, stones into axes, and bones into tools for harvesting wild food―and found an entire community walking the path back from our technology-focused, anxiety-ridden way of life to a simpler, more human experience. Weaving deep research and reportage with her own personal journey, Jessica tells the remarkable story of the potential benefits rewilding has for us and our planet, and questions what it truly means to be a human in today's world. For readers of A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century and Hunt, Gather, Parent , Why We Need to Be Wild is a thought-provoking, unforgettable narrative that illuminates how we survived in the past, how we live now, and how each of us can choose to thrive in the years ahead. "Kraft shows us how we could all benefit from being a little less civilized." ―Tiffany Shlain, author of 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week
384 pages, Paperback
Published June 18, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
September 10, 2023
Bougie White Woman meets Chris McCandless in the worst kind of way. Two hundred pages of tone deaf navel gazing.
October 1, 2023
I found Jessica's deep dive into rewilding—perhaps just into 'wilding' herself—fascinating, personal, honest, and useful. Her writing reflects the skill and integrity of her years as journalist, and a clear, strong voice that emerges from her self as a woman and a mother seeking greater peace of mind, freedom, and quality of life for herself and her daughters. She offers a wide-ranging and enthusiastic survey of the rewilding movement, based on her own personal experience immersing herself in that world out of her own emerging interest, tempered by the realism of someone also well versed in having made a life and a living in the Bay Area tech world. In the end she finds herself deeply changed, living a very different life—and also a fairly normal, accessible, relatable life that feels good to the reader. She sounds happy—and much less stressed. Why We Need to Be Wild is a practical, hopeful and exciting document that I expect will inspire many readers to explore making some changes in their own life.
September 16, 2023
Three stars – for being a decent divorce memoir told from the point of view of the person who has lost their mind, joined a cult and is desperately trying to find a new man to take care of her in the faux hunter-gatherer lifestyle to which she has accustomed herself.
October 23, 2023
Much to my surprise, as this is a topic that I'm passionate about, something about this book continues to rub me the wrong way. I think it falls somewhere between the authors propensity for the Paleo diet, "motherwhelmed" complaints, and all-or-nothing hunter-gatherer views. From the introduction, "we need to move, work, sleep, socialize, raise families, and produce goods the way early hunter-gatherers did, all from nature, if we are to survive on this teeming planet hurtling toward collapse and extinction," and later, "any effort that keeps the industrial system intact, like electric cars, renewable energy, and reusable shopping bags, will only put off the collapse a few years" (xxii-xxiii). Wow, what a hopeful and practical message for middle America. I've read the first chapter, you know, where she completely mangles the fox corpse but doesn't want it to decompose into fertilizer because then it would encounter human beings again, so she instead she puts it in her backyard where she and her daughters frequently visit so they can watch it decay.
... So yeeeah, I'm just going to shelve this one as DNF. Maybe I'll circle back to it one day but with all the wonderful naturalist work that's out there, it's not high on my list.
... So yeeeah, I'm just going to shelve this one as DNF. Maybe I'll circle back to it one day but with all the wonderful naturalist work that's out there, it's not high on my list.
May 8, 2023
Fantastically educational and eye opening, with a female perspective on what it means to live wild and practice reciprocity with nature.
Very enlightening and socially aware. Kraft addresses the class, race and gender divides that exists in the rewilding community, noting how rewilding still remains mainly a white male privilege—something not even readily available to Indigenous tribes.
Honest—even when it comes to difficult subjects. Environmentally conscious. Well researched, with great biological and historical information.
This is an excellent resource for anyone interested in living more in tune with nature in the midst of this modern, technological age.
Very enlightening and socially aware. Kraft addresses the class, race and gender divides that exists in the rewilding community, noting how rewilding still remains mainly a white male privilege—something not even readily available to Indigenous tribes.
Honest—even when it comes to difficult subjects. Environmentally conscious. Well researched, with great biological and historical information.
This is an excellent resource for anyone interested in living more in tune with nature in the midst of this modern, technological age.
July 16, 2023
I had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this, and it blew me away. As someone who is new to the world of rewilding, I found a whole new perspective on modernity. This book deconstructed so much about civilization in a style that was terrifically original, funny and compelling. I rarely come on Goodreads to make reviews, but I feel like this book needs to be read by so many people who are fed up with the way things are and wish to find a new way forward for themselves and their loved ones.
January 14, 2024
This book really opened my eyes to what it means to live reciprocally with the land and the idea of self sufficiency. The author did a very good job explaining why government assistance to natives can often to more harm than good. It makes me sad that humans are now seen as and are the “Great Destroyers” because for thousands of years we were a positive force in nature, controlling animal populations and nurturing wild edible fauna everywhere we went.
A lot of the aspects she describes about the hunter gatherer clans and the fact that this was our “natural” way of life really do provide a plausible explanation for why there is such a widespread issue with mental health, such as the lack of supportive community and the lack of immediate return society. We now delay things like retirement savings and trips and anything fun because of the need for money, developing addictions to phones and sweets and alcohol to fill the need of that immediate return.
I am saddened by the fact that a lot of native skills and culture has been lost due to the government regulation and interference. Fighting the urge to go live on a reserve and ask an elder to teach me so the skills are not lost. It is also very sad that practicing wild skills and such is a very white and hetero activity because these are things all humans should benefit from and this author does a GREAT job explaining the barriers and nuances around these issues. The biggest issue being that a lot of these practices (using roadkill for meat, foraging for food, living unconnected from the power grid) are straight up illegal in many regions in America and BIPOC and LGBTQ+ folks are more targeted by law enforcement already. Basically yt ppl can get away with it more. She explains it better than I can but it was an interesting read, especially when some of the retreats she went on were actively trying to recruit more BIPOC by doing things like giving them discounts on entry fees.
I also loved the way the author talked about the egalitarian society of the hunter-gatherers and how the subjugation of women has changed the history of what they did in those clans. I even learned that mensuration was a process to be celebrated instead of a point of shame it is today.
This author did a really good job of giving many ways to use every part of an animal and showed me how ethical hunting CAN be.
I now want to take up basket weaving.
Definitely recommend.
A lot of the aspects she describes about the hunter gatherer clans and the fact that this was our “natural” way of life really do provide a plausible explanation for why there is such a widespread issue with mental health, such as the lack of supportive community and the lack of immediate return society. We now delay things like retirement savings and trips and anything fun because of the need for money, developing addictions to phones and sweets and alcohol to fill the need of that immediate return.
I am saddened by the fact that a lot of native skills and culture has been lost due to the government regulation and interference. Fighting the urge to go live on a reserve and ask an elder to teach me so the skills are not lost. It is also very sad that practicing wild skills and such is a very white and hetero activity because these are things all humans should benefit from and this author does a GREAT job explaining the barriers and nuances around these issues. The biggest issue being that a lot of these practices (using roadkill for meat, foraging for food, living unconnected from the power grid) are straight up illegal in many regions in America and BIPOC and LGBTQ+ folks are more targeted by law enforcement already. Basically yt ppl can get away with it more. She explains it better than I can but it was an interesting read, especially when some of the retreats she went on were actively trying to recruit more BIPOC by doing things like giving them discounts on entry fees.
I also loved the way the author talked about the egalitarian society of the hunter-gatherers and how the subjugation of women has changed the history of what they did in those clans. I even learned that mensuration was a process to be celebrated instead of a point of shame it is today.
This author did a really good job of giving many ways to use every part of an animal and showed me how ethical hunting CAN be.
I now want to take up basket weaving.
Definitely recommend.
July 16, 2023
Kraft has written an exceptionally honest memoir about her journey to disentangle herself from Western capitalistic, consumeristic society and learn the primitive hunting-gathering techniques of the rewilding movement. Along the way, she meets memorable characters, learns how to dig up tubers, weave baskets, and skin roadkill, and falls out of love and into new love (which is the most unexpected surprise of the book).
She does not shy away from the obvious madness of some of the rewilders she meets, and their petty grudges and jealousies, which obvious handicap their movement. Unlike so many others in the movement, she's mothering two young daughters, which adds richness and poignancy to her story. And in the end, she finds a fragile equilibrium between modern life (writing books, social media, etc.) and the primitive ways of a hunter-gatherer. Anyone who's disenchanted with modern life, or worried that it's all about to collapse, should read this book.
She does not shy away from the obvious madness of some of the rewilders she meets, and their petty grudges and jealousies, which obvious handicap their movement. Unlike so many others in the movement, she's mothering two young daughters, which adds richness and poignancy to her story. And in the end, she finds a fragile equilibrium between modern life (writing books, social media, etc.) and the primitive ways of a hunter-gatherer. Anyone who's disenchanted with modern life, or worried that it's all about to collapse, should read this book.
August 30, 2023
”Why we need to be Wild,” is a well written, fun and engaging book.
Jessica drops the life she had to live closer to nature and she shares the struggles she and her daughters had to go through to live a more simple life.
By sharing her experiences, Jessica inspires us to be more in tune with nature but she mostly shows us that there is more than one way to live.
As someone who feels the pressure the societal norms of raising children, I find Jessica’s journey off the beaten path to be inspiring.
Jessica drops the life she had to live closer to nature and she shares the struggles she and her daughters had to go through to live a more simple life.
By sharing her experiences, Jessica inspires us to be more in tune with nature but she mostly shows us that there is more than one way to live.
As someone who feels the pressure the societal norms of raising children, I find Jessica’s journey off the beaten path to be inspiring.
August 30, 2024
I had high hopes for this book but a lot of this was just unaddressed privilege. The author couldn’t decide if she wanted to approach rewilding from a scientific approach or write an autobiography.
August 14, 2023
I had the grand privilege to read an advanced copy of why we need to be wild
it felt somewhat ironic reading it from a screen, munching chips out of a bag. But laying in a hammock under trees in the woods, after a morning fishing felt right, in line with the message. As someone who has spent the last year learning how to make a lot of my own foods, repairing clothing, and avoiding plastic (or trying very hard to) I already felt connected by the time I reached the first chapter. I guess you could sum it up by saying simply; I already knew Kraft’s take on rewilding was going to become another shift for me.
I appreciate how Kraft acknowledges and is respectful of indigenous peoples and culture, actively noting that the rewilding is a nonnative concept, since indigenous peoples have been living in communities such as these for millennia.
I will note, I wish there had been more acknowledgement of disabled peoples struggle to access nature, I kinda felt she was leaving that out when she notes race, class, and gender disparity which affects access to nature. I thought she would talk more about that since starting the book off discussing her mother’s battle with MS.
Nonetheless, I see how she is encourage people to simply try to access some of the wildness, if not being able to access a full immersion or a wilderness campout. Though she talks about her experience with workshops, she doesn’t explicitly state that that is the only way to rewild yourself, instead it is about accessing communities, and there are many ways and kinds of communities that offer some kind of immersion
I think we all need to be more wild, if not permanently, just choosing to take a break from modern life, from ego, from technology. Kraft captures this with her prologue, and if you only take one thing from this book, take that; Choose to wild yourself for a week, a weekend, an opportunity to reconnect with the source of all which provides life. In a disconnected world, connection is much needed, and Kraft provides thoughts on just that.
Told through her eyes and her experience, it reads like a story, and less like a guide, but offers the opportunity to learn from her and the community she built and met along the road.
it felt somewhat ironic reading it from a screen, munching chips out of a bag. But laying in a hammock under trees in the woods, after a morning fishing felt right, in line with the message. As someone who has spent the last year learning how to make a lot of my own foods, repairing clothing, and avoiding plastic (or trying very hard to) I already felt connected by the time I reached the first chapter. I guess you could sum it up by saying simply; I already knew Kraft’s take on rewilding was going to become another shift for me.
I appreciate how Kraft acknowledges and is respectful of indigenous peoples and culture, actively noting that the rewilding is a nonnative concept, since indigenous peoples have been living in communities such as these for millennia.
I will note, I wish there had been more acknowledgement of disabled peoples struggle to access nature, I kinda felt she was leaving that out when she notes race, class, and gender disparity which affects access to nature. I thought she would talk more about that since starting the book off discussing her mother’s battle with MS.
Nonetheless, I see how she is encourage people to simply try to access some of the wildness, if not being able to access a full immersion or a wilderness campout. Though she talks about her experience with workshops, she doesn’t explicitly state that that is the only way to rewild yourself, instead it is about accessing communities, and there are many ways and kinds of communities that offer some kind of immersion
I think we all need to be more wild, if not permanently, just choosing to take a break from modern life, from ego, from technology. Kraft captures this with her prologue, and if you only take one thing from this book, take that; Choose to wild yourself for a week, a weekend, an opportunity to reconnect with the source of all which provides life. In a disconnected world, connection is much needed, and Kraft provides thoughts on just that.
Told through her eyes and her experience, it reads like a story, and less like a guide, but offers the opportunity to learn from her and the community she built and met along the road.
August 10, 2023
Until I picked up "Why We Need to Be Wild," I wouldn’t have pegged myself as someone who would resonate with the concept of rewilding. The idea of purposely detaching from the convenience of running water and flushing toilets, has always seemed foreign to me. However, Jessica Carew Kraft's narrative transformed my perspective.
From the beginning, her journey is one painted with such genuineness and vulnerability that every page feels like a conversation with a friend. Carew Kraft isn't merely narrating her experiences; she's inviting us to explore with her. Her exploration into ancient cultures and her personal anecdotes, provided insights that made me re-evaluate my own relationship with nature and the wild.
This isn't just a book about the great outdoors; it's about the deep-rooted connection humans once had with nature and how that connection might be the antidote to the overpowering technological and capitalistic drives that dominate modern society. It echoes sentiments many of us feel but struggle to articulate - the nagging feeling that perhaps we've strayed too far from what makes us inherently human.
In a world that sometimes feels as if it's spiraling out of control, "Why We Need to Be Wild" feels like a grounding force. It's a testament to the idea that within nature, and our intrinsic connection to it, lies the balance and healing we so desperately seek.
This is more than just a read; it's an experience. Highly recommend it to anyone, whether you're a seasoned nature lover or, like me, a skeptic in need of a transformative journey.
From the beginning, her journey is one painted with such genuineness and vulnerability that every page feels like a conversation with a friend. Carew Kraft isn't merely narrating her experiences; she's inviting us to explore with her. Her exploration into ancient cultures and her personal anecdotes, provided insights that made me re-evaluate my own relationship with nature and the wild.
This isn't just a book about the great outdoors; it's about the deep-rooted connection humans once had with nature and how that connection might be the antidote to the overpowering technological and capitalistic drives that dominate modern society. It echoes sentiments many of us feel but struggle to articulate - the nagging feeling that perhaps we've strayed too far from what makes us inherently human.
In a world that sometimes feels as if it's spiraling out of control, "Why We Need to Be Wild" feels like a grounding force. It's a testament to the idea that within nature, and our intrinsic connection to it, lies the balance and healing we so desperately seek.
This is more than just a read; it's an experience. Highly recommend it to anyone, whether you're a seasoned nature lover or, like me, a skeptic in need of a transformative journey.
April 21, 2024
This book is amazing. A must have book for rewilding and one that brings attention to not just men in the wild like so many other books but the wild as a place for woman as well. " imagine a guy knapping a chopper tool or sharpening an arrowhead right here, knocking off flakes and then taking off", he Said as I interjected, "Or maybe it was a woman?" He smiled and subtly acknowledged this idea, which I researched and discovered was plausible. He later wrote about that possibility in an anarchist journal, crediting my insight." Pg 151
Anarchism, Feminism, and primitivism philosophical thought are wound together finely in this epic about the author and her journey from the decaying and alienating civilization that is our own into the wild.
" As parents, Jaime and I both felt thwarted by the structures of civilization in our desire to help our children build a connection to the wild and live in a supportive community. We looked for insight from ethnographies of egalitarian cultures, trying to understand how we could make social changes in our lives to align more with our evolutionary heritage, besides practicing wild skills." Pg 251
And what a desire and goal that is accomplished here in this book. We must learn from our hunter gatherer ancestors if we want a better and sustainable future for our species. Jessica carew kraft is a genius writer and this book she has created is a must have for the human race if we are to learn and be inspired to have a future primitive. The only future we can have if we are to save our earth and ourselves from ourselves....
Anarchism, Feminism, and primitivism philosophical thought are wound together finely in this epic about the author and her journey from the decaying and alienating civilization that is our own into the wild.
" As parents, Jaime and I both felt thwarted by the structures of civilization in our desire to help our children build a connection to the wild and live in a supportive community. We looked for insight from ethnographies of egalitarian cultures, trying to understand how we could make social changes in our lives to align more with our evolutionary heritage, besides practicing wild skills." Pg 251
And what a desire and goal that is accomplished here in this book. We must learn from our hunter gatherer ancestors if we want a better and sustainable future for our species. Jessica carew kraft is a genius writer and this book she has created is a must have for the human race if we are to learn and be inspired to have a future primitive. The only future we can have if we are to save our earth and ourselves from ourselves....
August 15, 2023
For starters if you are loving or wanting to transition to a life rewilding to its fullest.. then this is the book, the read you have been waiting for!! Pulling you away from this new age tech life.. draws you in enchantingly in-captivating your mind and soul wanting to know and learn more of this era once lost.. That now wants to be reborn and found. Our ancestors are calling to live life differently as how it has come to be. Let’s be grateful and thank such beautiful beings like Jessica Carew Kraft!! Look forward to spreading the word and to future comings.
August 22, 2023
In a world where we're so tied to devices and rat race civilization it's refreshing to read a first hand account of someone who stepped away and learned how to be, to learn, to grow into a new person connected to a natural world we need but we are more and more separated from.
A brilliantly written book, and something I will think about and expand on more later. 5/5!
A brilliantly written book, and something I will think about and expand on more later. 5/5!
October 24, 2023
Kraft is an eloquent and experienced writer whose skill and wisdom shows in Why We Need To Be Wild. She makes a poignant argument for rewilding ourselves, something I've experienced the transformative power of firsthand. Everyone should pick up this book, open themselves to the ideas within, and rewild themselves, at least a bit!
January 12, 2024
Love this book!! Highly recommend! 🩷
October 30, 2023
Audiobook
⭐️
This book was great in terms of journalism and sharing experiences around the “rewilding” movement, but it fails when this pretentious white “middle class”(though she was very much upper class until her husband divorced he) woman from San Francisco began to talk about indigenous people.
She knows that many indigenous people are unable to connect to their roots, and return to their land yet continued to make excuses for rich white people to go and live out their hunter gather fantasies.
Not only that, but for most of the book we were told that she was married, and it wasn’t until the end we learned that her husband divorced her. The issue is that in the prior chapters she talks about staying up late to talk with other men, visiting them alone, and finding them attractive. Then she turns around and blames her husband while wearing her deer skin moccasins.
Interesting idea, and I did enjoy learning but oh my god this woman is crazy.
⭐️
This book was great in terms of journalism and sharing experiences around the “rewilding” movement, but it fails when this pretentious white “middle class”(though she was very much upper class until her husband divorced he) woman from San Francisco began to talk about indigenous people.
She knows that many indigenous people are unable to connect to their roots, and return to their land yet continued to make excuses for rich white people to go and live out their hunter gather fantasies.
Not only that, but for most of the book we were told that she was married, and it wasn’t until the end we learned that her husband divorced her. The issue is that in the prior chapters she talks about staying up late to talk with other men, visiting them alone, and finding them attractive. Then she turns around and blames her husband while wearing her deer skin moccasins.
Interesting idea, and I did enjoy learning but oh my god this woman is crazy.
July 21, 2025
Undecided between 3.5 and 4 stars. Lots of good info though and things to think about.
January 22, 2024
In Why We Need to Be Wild, Jessica Carew Kraft takes the reader along on her personal journey to learn about rewilding and survival skills in a modern world that is facing a future of disruptions due to climate change. Wild resonated with me on many levels: the environment/climate change, rewilding and our food supply, social justice implications for BIPOC, religions/clans/social groups, and family.
Wild is both an informative book about rewilding and a memoir of Kraft’s journey to break from the destructive aspects of civilization. She reflects on lessons she learned from her mother, the influence of Judaism from her father’s side of the family, and the impact of her decisions on family and friends, while trying to teach her daughters the lessons of survival and reciprocity.
Kraft’s skills as an author are evident as Wild is well-written and researched. She is forthright in pointing out that her career as a Silicon Valley writer helps enable her pursuit of rewilding since she can earn an income with access to the internet. While women/mothers are a minority in the rewilding community, Kraft also acknowledges her privilege as an educated white woman. She points out the advantages she has that Black and Indigenous people lack when it comes to living off the land.
Weeks after finishing the book, I continued thinking about many of the topics raised and the path forward as climate change impacts our food supply and other aspects of civilization. A thought-provoking book and an excellent read: 5 stars!
Wild is both an informative book about rewilding and a memoir of Kraft’s journey to break from the destructive aspects of civilization. She reflects on lessons she learned from her mother, the influence of Judaism from her father’s side of the family, and the impact of her decisions on family and friends, while trying to teach her daughters the lessons of survival and reciprocity.
Kraft’s skills as an author are evident as Wild is well-written and researched. She is forthright in pointing out that her career as a Silicon Valley writer helps enable her pursuit of rewilding since she can earn an income with access to the internet. While women/mothers are a minority in the rewilding community, Kraft also acknowledges her privilege as an educated white woman. She points out the advantages she has that Black and Indigenous people lack when it comes to living off the land.
Weeks after finishing the book, I continued thinking about many of the topics raised and the path forward as climate change impacts our food supply and other aspects of civilization. A thought-provoking book and an excellent read: 5 stars!
May 7, 2024
I believe certain books come to you at the right moments—Kerouac’s “On The Road” when I was a teenager, Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love” in my 20s, and Kraft’s “Why We Need To Be Wild” as a new mother in my 30s.
While the other two aforementioned books romanticize an “alternate” life—one where the trappings and expectations of modern living are shirked for a nomadic, bohemian existence—Kraft approaches rewilding as a realist and an academic, carefully painting the harsh realities of that path. While I had hoped that the book would end with a step-by-step process on how to rewild, what the reader is given is so much more beneficial. Kraft addresses the inequalities that keep certain groups from rewilding, highlights the legalities in some areas, gives considerable weight to rewilding as a parent, and above all addresses the slow and arduous removal of modern day conveniences, processes, and responsibilities that keep us all from becoming more self-sustainable. What the reader (at least this US reader) is left with instead of a step-by-step process is a realistic look at our culture today and how small glimmers of rewilding can be implemented even as quickly as today (halfway through reading the book, I went outside, ripped up some invasive English Ivy and taught myself how to weave a basket with it). Kraft’s approach feels attainable and actionable, with a healthy recognition of how a slower rewilding approach will help us regenerate our broken land.
While the other two aforementioned books romanticize an “alternate” life—one where the trappings and expectations of modern living are shirked for a nomadic, bohemian existence—Kraft approaches rewilding as a realist and an academic, carefully painting the harsh realities of that path. While I had hoped that the book would end with a step-by-step process on how to rewild, what the reader is given is so much more beneficial. Kraft addresses the inequalities that keep certain groups from rewilding, highlights the legalities in some areas, gives considerable weight to rewilding as a parent, and above all addresses the slow and arduous removal of modern day conveniences, processes, and responsibilities that keep us all from becoming more self-sustainable. What the reader (at least this US reader) is left with instead of a step-by-step process is a realistic look at our culture today and how small glimmers of rewilding can be implemented even as quickly as today (halfway through reading the book, I went outside, ripped up some invasive English Ivy and taught myself how to weave a basket with it). Kraft’s approach feels attainable and actionable, with a healthy recognition of how a slower rewilding approach will help us regenerate our broken land.
December 25, 2023
عدم التوافق
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اكتسب البشر - سابقاً - مزايا البقاء في بيئاتهم من خلال الصعوبات التي تحملوها، وكذلك من خلال صيد الطرائد، والأسماك، والبحث عن النباتات والفطريات الصالحة للأكل في مجموعات بدوية صغيرة ومستوطنات موسمية. إن البيئة التي شكلت جيناتنا لم تعد هي البيئة التي نعيش فيها. لا يزال لدينا عقول وأجساد تعتمد على الصيد وجمع الثمار، ولكننا لا نعيش كما عاشوا. يسمي علماء الأحياء هذا "عدم التوافق التطوري".
يستشعر الكثير منا هذا الانفصال العميق، على الرغم من أننا لا نسميه عدم التوافق التطوري. نحن نعلم فقط أن هناك شيئًا ما ليس صحيحًا في الطريقة التي نعيش بها. نعاني من زيادة الوزن، ومحرومين من النوم، ومتوترين، ووحيدين، ومكتئبين، وقلقين، ومرضيين، ومدمنين، وغير قادرين على الانتباه. لدينا فكرة أن الجلوس طوال اليوم، والتحديق في الشاشات، وقيادة السيارات، والعيش بمفردك أو مع عدد قليل من الناس قد لا يكون أفضل طريقة للعيش. ومع ذلك، فإننا لا نعرف أي طريقة أخرى للعيش، ولا نفهم عدد المهارات التي فقدناها في المائتي عام الماضية. كيف يكون هذا ممكنا، في حين أن هذه هي البيئة التي تطورنا من أجل البقاء فيها؟ يبدو أننا قد استبدلنا الفوائد الاجتماعية والنفسية والجسدية لأسلوب حياة أسلافنا لصالح الراحة والتقدم التكنولوجي دون الأخذ في الاعتبار الخسائر الهائلة في كل جانب من جوانب حياتنا.
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Jessica Carew Kraft
Why We Need to Be Wild
Translated By #Maher_Razouk
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اكتسب البشر - سابقاً - مزايا البقاء في بيئاتهم من خلال الصعوبات التي تحملوها، وكذلك من خلال صيد الطرائد، والأسماك، والبحث عن النباتات والفطريات الصالحة للأكل في مجموعات بدوية صغيرة ومستوطنات موسمية. إن البيئة التي شكلت جيناتنا لم تعد هي البيئة التي نعيش فيها. لا يزال لدينا عقول وأجساد تعتمد على الصيد وجمع الثمار، ولكننا لا نعيش كما عاشوا. يسمي علماء الأحياء هذا "عدم التوافق التطوري".
يستشعر الكثير منا هذا الانفصال العميق، على الرغم من أننا لا نسميه عدم التوافق التطوري. نحن نعلم فقط أن هناك شيئًا ما ليس صحيحًا في الطريقة التي نعيش بها. نعاني من زيادة الوزن، ومحرومين من النوم، ومتوترين، ووحيدين، ومكتئبين، وقلقين، ومرضيين، ومدمنين، وغير قادرين على الانتباه. لدينا فكرة أن الجلوس طوال اليوم، والتحديق في الشاشات، وقيادة السيارات، والعيش بمفردك أو مع عدد قليل من الناس قد لا يكون أفضل طريقة للعيش. ومع ذلك، فإننا لا نعرف أي طريقة أخرى للعيش، ولا نفهم عدد المهارات التي فقدناها في المائتي عام الماضية. كيف يكون هذا ممكنا، في حين أن هذه هي البيئة التي تطورنا من أجل البقاء فيها؟ يبدو أننا قد استبدلنا الفوائد الاجتماعية والنفسية والجسدية لأسلوب حياة أسلافنا لصالح الراحة والتقدم التكنولوجي دون الأخذ في الاعتبار الخسائر الهائلة في كل جانب من جوانب حياتنا.
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Jessica Carew Kraft
Why We Need to Be Wild
Translated By #Maher_Razouk
July 18, 2023
This book comes off as very pretentious. This is paleo-heavy material when I guess I was actually hoping for balanced information on why going back to our roots is important. I was looking for an inspirational story of how a mom found her way back to nature and how it healed her. Instead, it's more of a story influenced by the teachings of the paleo lifestyle riddled with privilege and sexism. This comes off like it was written with a cult-like mindset and leaves a bitter taste toward the end. I was going to give it two stars but after reaching around page 200 and the sexist hateful spew, it's a one-star. I wish I could explain more here in deeper detail without spoiling it, but wow, I have not disliked a book so much as I do now. This is the kind of book that sums up the bad eggs in the nature-loving community.
November 16, 2024
DNF @ 45%. Just not what I thought it was going to be…
March 10, 2024
BOOK REVIEW 📚
I grabbed this because the idea of connecting with "old ways" has been pulling me for a little while now. I was hopeful that this would bring some balance to a life of overconsumption and waste and provide some insights on how to merge the old with the modern. It did that AND it didn't!
What I enjoyed:
I really enjoyed the idea of returning to old ways of existing, returning to the "village" mentality of reciprocated supports and being more self sustaining. This book did highlight some things that I took for granted. Things that I consume without any thought about how that item came to be! Most profound for me was when she explained that, as humans, we have become domesticated, removed from our ability to truly live in tune with nature. We now rely on a system that was designed to domesticate us and at the same time ensure we are dependent on that system, because wealth is now a top down system rather than reciprocal.
I also loved the dedication to highlighting how we consume more than we need and we waste a LOT! It absolutely has given me an appreciation for those aspects of my life.
What was bothersome:
While she expresses that her journey is hers, she also very much borderlines being preachy at times. She thankfully references the fact that "Re-wilding" largely excludes people of color, and states that Indigenous people were prohibited from exercising their rights to forage for sacred foods and herbs. She completely skips over the fact that people who are disabled are totally absent from the narrative as well. She doesn't reflect her own privilege in her ability to do this experience. She has a very cushy safety net to fall back on when she returns from her very expensive excursions!
Was this worth the read? YES! But go into it knowing that it's not wholly accessable to everyone to experience this lifestyle.
⭐⭐⭐
#whyweneedtobewild
#jessicacarewkraft
#book
#bookreview
#nonfiction
#readingtime📖
#read
I grabbed this because the idea of connecting with "old ways" has been pulling me for a little while now. I was hopeful that this would bring some balance to a life of overconsumption and waste and provide some insights on how to merge the old with the modern. It did that AND it didn't!
What I enjoyed:
I really enjoyed the idea of returning to old ways of existing, returning to the "village" mentality of reciprocated supports and being more self sustaining. This book did highlight some things that I took for granted. Things that I consume without any thought about how that item came to be! Most profound for me was when she explained that, as humans, we have become domesticated, removed from our ability to truly live in tune with nature. We now rely on a system that was designed to domesticate us and at the same time ensure we are dependent on that system, because wealth is now a top down system rather than reciprocal.
I also loved the dedication to highlighting how we consume more than we need and we waste a LOT! It absolutely has given me an appreciation for those aspects of my life.
What was bothersome:
While she expresses that her journey is hers, she also very much borderlines being preachy at times. She thankfully references the fact that "Re-wilding" largely excludes people of color, and states that Indigenous people were prohibited from exercising their rights to forage for sacred foods and herbs. She completely skips over the fact that people who are disabled are totally absent from the narrative as well. She doesn't reflect her own privilege in her ability to do this experience. She has a very cushy safety net to fall back on when she returns from her very expensive excursions!
Was this worth the read? YES! But go into it knowing that it's not wholly accessable to everyone to experience this lifestyle.
⭐⭐⭐
#whyweneedtobewild
#jessicacarewkraft
#book
#bookreview
#nonfiction
#readingtime📖
#read
May 18, 2025
Mixed feelings, overall positive but felt that the author is out of touch with how difficult the "primitive" skills that she has learned can be for some of us, for a variety of reasons. She definitely discusses some of her struggles but also comes across as a bit preachy at times.
I was pretty into learning a lot of primitive skills at one time, along with "primal" movement. But then a number of physical things happened along with major life changes and now I'm in a suburban condo. I do what movement I can but a lot of things are out of reach now, physically and for other reasons.
I really feel the whole movement she has embraced is a bit elitist and not accessible for most people.
But its interesting to read about.
I was pretty into learning a lot of primitive skills at one time, along with "primal" movement. But then a number of physical things happened along with major life changes and now I'm in a suburban condo. I do what movement I can but a lot of things are out of reach now, physically and for other reasons.
I really feel the whole movement she has embraced is a bit elitist and not accessible for most people.
But its interesting to read about.
November 7, 2024
Took me a few months to get through this and here’s why: I appreciated the author’s need to learn practical skills—fire building, foraging, hunting, and more. Great, yes, those are valuable skills. But they (and her continual leaving to research this way of life, sometimes to the extreme) definitely came at the expense of her family and home. She lost me at that point.
September 18, 2025
This book made me rethink so much of my life. It has motivated me to focus more on what is good for humans based on human nature and what we did before we evolved with technology. I think this is a really niche topic but if you’re into the outdoors this book could change your life
May 25, 2023
A very impressive book, I highlighted immensely. And what I especially appreciate about Why We Need To Be Wild is the fact that the author shows different facets of all sorts of subjects. Whether it is biological, historical... she mostly let us in on two (or more) sides of a story.
It was my intention to buy this book when it will be published so I can share it with friends or even put it only on Peerby (an online platform to rent or freely share things with neighbors)...
And yet... only three stars as I was utterly disappointed, despite hoping I was wrong to expect this to happen, that she never wonders about the chronically ill and disabled people in our current society. Although she describes how her journey or quest for re-wilding was inspired by the illness and death of her Mum, suffering from MS.
Jessica Carew Kraft mentions three groups that lack access to nature: People of color, families with children, and low-income groups. But not once in the whole book does she wonder how people that are for instant ill with MS (or ME in my case for over eighteen years now) are impacted by not being able to have 'green time.'
That there is more to the humankind than those on two legs that are able to literally walk, to work on hides until they are fatigued, starting over the next day.., and having the confidence to rely on oneself.
The use of the word 'authentic' in the last chapter makes me wonder if it is perhaps grating or hurtful, causing friction or difficulties. I cannot make up my mind about it, but makes me realize she is just another human being, not that different from me: with imperfections.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.
It was my intention to buy this book when it will be published so I can share it with friends or even put it only on Peerby (an online platform to rent or freely share things with neighbors)...
And yet... only three stars as I was utterly disappointed, despite hoping I was wrong to expect this to happen, that she never wonders about the chronically ill and disabled people in our current society. Although she describes how her journey or quest for re-wilding was inspired by the illness and death of her Mum, suffering from MS.
Jessica Carew Kraft mentions three groups that lack access to nature: People of color, families with children, and low-income groups. But not once in the whole book does she wonder how people that are for instant ill with MS (or ME in my case for over eighteen years now) are impacted by not being able to have 'green time.'
That there is more to the humankind than those on two legs that are able to literally walk, to work on hides until they are fatigued, starting over the next day.., and having the confidence to rely on oneself.
The use of the word 'authentic' in the last chapter makes me wonder if it is perhaps grating or hurtful, causing friction or difficulties. I cannot make up my mind about it, but makes me realize she is just another human being, not that different from me: with imperfections.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.
April 9, 2024
What a wild book. Sorry, it was easy pickings to start the review. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. I've been in a 'immersive journalism' run lately and this book fits that bill perfectly. The author completely changed her life and embraced this wild lifestyle wholeheartedly. I may not be totally convinced on Stone Age living but the skills that the author learns are incredibly amazing and something that interests me personally. Authentic and honest are two words that I would use to describe the author's writing style. Kraft expertly balances the issues of race, gender, cultural appropriation, etc. while she delves into the wilding scene. I think Kraft's insistence on community and not lone wolfing is insightful and worth deep consideration. The real life characters the author engages are super interesting, complex, intelligent, and, at times, crackers. But isn't that what community is? It is challenging to get along with everyone, even if you have common interests like living off the land for all your basic needs. Big props to Kraft for learning who she is and then taking the plunge and going after it. We could all learn from that.
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